


When we finally kiss goodnight

by frostysunflowers



Series: May your days be merry and bright [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Avengers, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21639223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frostysunflowers/pseuds/frostysunflowers
Summary: ''You’ve got your sappy dad face on.''''I do not have a sappy dad face!'' Tony barks, pouting at Rhodey. ''When did this happen? They’re meant to be talking about Lego sets and reciting lines from Star Wars on repeat, not gazing into each other’s eyes in the snow and - ''''Falling in love?''There’s something in the way Rhodey speaks the words, a hidden meaning in them that sends an odd shiver down Tony’s spine.
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, Ned Leeds/Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: May your days be merry and bright [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638517
Comments: 41
Kudos: 528





	When we finally kiss goodnight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blondsak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blondsak/gifts), [seekrest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/gifts), [hailingstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hailingstars/gifts).



> This started out as a fic about Peter and Tony going to visit the Balto statue in the park (a childhood dream of mine cos I love that story and I ADORE the movie so much) and then, well, my sappy self got swept up in the fact that Christmas is coming and yeah, here we are! If you know your way around Central Park, please be kind cos I really don't haha, and paid no real attention to the location details, soz. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Gifted to blondsak, seekrest and hailingstars as an early Christmas present - something to tide you all over if you know what I mean ;) haha! <3

Snowflakes fall in a steady flurry, catching the distant glow of the city lights and sparkling crystal bright as they twirl slowly on the freezing twilight air. There’s already a decent amount of it covering everything in a white blanket, giving the atmosphere of the park a somewhat enchanting feel. 

A little way ahead on the path, a very bundled up Peter lets out a whoop of delight and spins in a circle, arms spread wide in the glow of a nearby lamppost. Beside him, Ned laughs and lifts up his phone to take a picture. Tony watches them with a small smile, the sight doing wonders at warming him up. 

''That’s kinda cute.''

Tony turns to look at Rhodey. ''What is?''

Rhodey gives him a look. ''Seriously? You don’t see it?''

''See what?'' Tony asks impatiently, gaze turning back to Peter and Ned. They’re both giggling like crazy now, trying to stuff snow down the back of each other’s shirts. Ned pulls away with a shriek, feet slipping suddenly, but then Peter’s pulling him back upright and their red faces are now merely inches apart, breath turning into little shimmering clouds between them. 

Tony sees it then, even from where he’s standing; that little excited glimmer in Peter’s eyes, the curious, sweet smile that makes his face light up. The hand that had stopped Ned from toppling over is clutching the sleeve of Ned’s jacket, and the left lapel of Peter’s coat is scrunched tight in Ned’s fist, and they’re still staring at each other, a postcard perfect image against the snowy backdrop. 

''You’ve got your sappy dad face on.''

''I do not have a sappy dad face!'' Tony barks, pouting at Rhodey. ''When did this happen? They’re meant to be talking about Lego sets and reciting lines from Star Wars on repeat, not gazing into each other’s eyes in the snow and - ''

''Falling in love?''

There’s something in the way Rhodey speaks the words, a hidden meaning in them that sends an odd shiver down Tony’s spine. 

Tony studies Rhodey’s face, lost to the thought of just how handsome the man is. He’s always thought so, ever since the day they met at college when Tony had crashed through the dorm door and found himself face to face with a fresh from the shower and wearing only a towel Rhodey. Shameless flirting and teasing on Tony’s part and fond tolerance from Rhodey had been the way forward from then on, but then somehow, Tony isn’t quite sure when, things changed. 

Because now, with tiny flecks of white sticking to his cheeks and his dark eyes gleaming brightly and a thoughtful smile ghosting on his lips, Rhodey is by far one of the most beautiful things Tony has ever had the pleasure of looking at. 

As a shivery breath escapes his lips and whirls around Rhodey, Tony is suddenly aware of how close they’re standing, toe to toe, just like Peter and Ned. 

This thing between them is new, tentative and, if Tony’s being completely honest, a little bit terrifying. 

They haven’t mentioned it to one another, but then again, they don’t really need to. 

It’s in the way they act around each other now that gives it all away, a development to their relationship that has clearly been years in the making but still takes them both by surprise. Tony can tell Rhodey is as stunned by it as he is, his usually firm and familiar touches hesitant and newly gentle, his gaze consistently thoughtful whenever Tony catches him looking, which he does more than he used to before. Tony, for his part, finds that he can’t get enough of Rhodey, wanting to be as close as possible, see him all the time, hear his voice. 

In some ways, everything is the same. It’s still them, but somehow everything has been magnified, dialled up a notch or two. It’s different, but somehow not. 

''Rhodey…'' Tony says softly, tilting his head back a little as Rhodey inches closer. 

''Yeah?'' Rhodey replies, equally quiet. 

Being best friends for so long means that Tony knows Rhodey inside out, just as Rhodey knows him. It means that they don’t need always need words to know what’s going on, and any and all secrets don’t stay secret for very long. 

So really, it’s no surprise that this secret, the one they’ve both been terrible at keeping hidden, seem like it's about to spill itself to the world. Or, at least, the scattering of people walking past and a pair of lovesick teenagers drooling over each other up the path. 

They’re so close now that Rhodey’s breath is brushing against Tony’s lips, warming the chill away. He feels Rhodey’s hand tuck into the tail of his scarf and start to tug him forward, the small space between them closing - 

''My friends!''

Thor’s voice is so loud it sends a flock of birds flying out of a tree with startled squawks. Tony and Rhodey pull away from each other quickly, heads ducking down and eyes quickly finding Thor, Steve and Bruce further down the path, merely silhouettes in the beam of a nearby lamppost. 

''We have found the statue!''

From behind them, Peter cheers excitedly and then races past, Ned’s hand grasped tightly in his own. Tony stares after them, and then jolts when he feels gloved fingers delicately tickle his, encouraging them to open up. He does so, heart thrumming wildly in his chest as his palm presses snugly against Rhodey’s. 

They don’t say a word as they start walking, shoulders brushing with each step. Tony keeps his gaze firmly ahead, focusing on the crunch of the snow beneath their feet, trying to quell the rush of hopeful exhilaration bubbling inside him. 

It’s insane, crazy, stupid. He feels like a damn teenager about to get lucky for the first time, and all he’s doing is holding hands with his best friend. 

Rhodey’s thumb brushes over his knuckles, a gentle pressure, and Tony’s heart leaps into his throat. 

They remain silent as they carry on walking, but the tension between them is almost like a voice in itself, growing louder with each step they take. 

He wants to say something, _anything_ , and finds himself turning to look at Rhodey, mouth opening with no idea of what words are going to come tumbling out - 

''Mister Stark!''

Tony barely has time to untangle his fingers from Rhodey’s to catch the teenager flying at him. He steps back with a soft ''oof!'' as Peter crashes into him, instantly tugging on his arm and babbling at a hundred miles an hour. 

''We found it, Mister Stark! This way - oh man, it looks _so_ cool with the snow, just like the movie! Ned and me already took a picture but we need to get one too, come on!''

''Cool your jets, Underoos,'' Tony says, chuckling as he allows himself to be pulled along the path. He chances a glance back at Rhodey and finds the man walking closely behind, a warm smile on his face that brings what feels like a hundred butterflies to life in Tony’s stomach. 

God, this is ridiculous. He’s a _grown man_ , a once upon a time playboy, a guy who has been around enough attractive men and women to have some sort of game plan for this sort of thing - 

Except this is _Rhodey,_ a man who apparently has the ability to do what no other person on Earth can do - render Tony a lovestruck idiot. 

''Look, Mister Stark!''

Tony’s attention returns to the moment and his gaze falls onto the snow sprinkled statue of Balto. It twinkles in the glow of the lamps, majestic and proud even with Steve and Bruce sat at his feet. 

''I see it, kid,'' Tony says, hooking an arm around Peter’s shoulder. ''Looks as good as I remember.''

Thor looks up from where he’s reading the plaque at the base of the monument, assisted with the torch from Ned’s phone. 

''This hound sounds like the most worthy of heroes!''

''It is pretty great that they honoured the sled dog legacy like this,'' Steve says, leaning his hand against one of the bronze legs. ''Bucky always loved the story.''

''Shame he wasn’t around when you crashed that plane,'' Tony teases. ''He could have pulled your frozen ass to safety and stopped you from turning into a capsicle.''

Steve chucks a hunk of snow at him, catching him on the shoulder that Peter isn’t leaning into. 

''We used to watch the movie all the time when we were little,'' Peter tells Tony with a smile. ''Didn’t we, Ned?''

Ned nods enthusiastically. ''So much that the tape stopped working.''

Peter tugs on Tony’s arm again. ''You gotta climb up for the picture.''

''Watch you don’t slip and fall on your ass,'' Rhodey calls helpfully as Tony follows Peter up the rocky outcropping. 

Tony turns to flip his middle finger up, butterflies and ridiculous yearning giving way to the routine of their friendship, and nearly falls over Steve as his shoe slides on a patch of ice. 

''Smooth,'' Bruce chuckles as he watches Steve push Tony back to his feet. 

''I’ll kill you all,'' Tony mutters as he curls an arm around the statue’s neck. ''I have the power.''

They wait for Steve and Bruce to slide down before positioning themselves for the picture.

''Say cheese!’’ Ned calls from below, holding his phone up high in front of his face. 

A brush against the back of his head and Rhodey’s approving laugh alerts Tony to the bunny ears Peter is making behind him. Tony allows it, giving his best smile for the camera, and then pulls Peter into a headlock. 

''You’re a little shit sometimes, you know that?'' he says, giving the bobble on Peter’s hat a yank.

''Hey!'' Peter protests, flailing his arms a little. ''Cut it out, Mister Stark.''

Tony jostles him playfully for another minute before releasing him, leaning his back against the body of the statue as Peter adjusts his hat and then tucks into his side. 

''So,'' he jerks his head at where Ned is showing Thor and Rhodey the picture, ''this a recent development?''

Peter’s wind-chilled skin turns visibly redder even in the low light. ''Um...kinda. I mean...yeah, I guess?''

He looks at Tony with wide eyes, nervous and uncertain. Tony gives him an easy smile. ''As long as he treats you right, bud, that’s all I care about.''

There’s a brief pause where Peter just stares at him, and then he laughs bashfully, clearly pleased. ''Am I supposed to say the same thing about you and Mister Rhodes?''

The instinct to object, to pretend he has no idea what Peter is talking about, isn’t as strong as it would have been once upon a time. Much as Tony doesn’t fancy discussing his love life, the acknowledgement of whatever is happening with him and Rhodey feels important somehow. 

''You do like him, right?''

There’s a lazy snowball fight breaking out between the others now. Ned clearly can’t believe his luck, his face practically splitting in half with the size of his smile. Tony smirks as Rhodey deftly ducks a well aimed throw from Thor and launches a wad of snow right back, hitting his mark dead on and making the demi-god guffaw loudly. 

It’s nothing extraordinary, not a moment that love songs are written about, not a sugar sweet scene that would close the plot of a romantic movie, but simply the sight of Rhodey smiling, bending at the knee and laughing, is all that Tony needs to know for absolute certain that he isn’t going to make it through the night without trying to kiss the man senseless. 

But he still turns to Peter and asks quietly, ''What do you think, kid?''

Peter smiles brightly at him, brown eyes shining.

''You look at him like Ben used to look at May.''

Tony nods once and huffs out a breath. ''That’s...that’s something.''

''Yeah,'' Peter murmurs, sounding a little wistful. ''You...you deserve to be happy, you know?''

''I am happy, kid.''

''I know. But... _happy_ happy.''

Tony hugs him closer and ducks his head to rest against the soft wool of Peter’s hat, just to hide his misty gaze for a moment. ''When did you get to be so smart, huh?''

Peter gives him a tight, gleeful squeeze around the middle before hopping down to join the madness. He wastes no time in throwing himself at Ned, tackling the other boy into the snow with a merry laugh. Steve’s tugging Bruce behind a bench and ducking down with a cackle as Thor launches a barrage of snowy missiles at them. Soft voices singing carols from somewhere in the park reach Tony’s ears on the winter wind and he closes his eyes contently even as he shivers, ducking his nose into his scarf as he listens. 

He feels Rhodey’s presence a moment later, close and warm. Strong arms wind around him and a broad chest presses against his, bringing the butterflies up from his stomach and around his heart.

Tony opens his eyes and grins. ''Hey, sourpatch.''

''Your mini-me told me I need to get up here and, to quote directly, stop being lame and kiss you.''

The thrill that runs through Tony is electric. ''Well, he is a pretty smart kid.''

''Mm,'' Rhodey agrees, so close now, his smile making his eyes crinkle at the edges in the way Tony adores. ''I knew a smart kid once. Grew up to be a bit of a dumbass.''

''Oh, yeah?''

''Yeah. A smart guy would have kissed me years ago.''

They’re almost kissing now, breath mingling together, a swirl of hot and cold. 

''Maybe he was waiting for his equally dumbass friend to make the first move.''

''Tones?''

''Yes, honeybear?''

''Shut up.''

''So rude,'' Tony murmurs just as Rhodey’s lips meet his.

**Author's Note:**

> Me: come on you've got so many angsty/whumpy fics to finish, you can doooo it!
> 
> Also me: but but...christmas feels, ironhusbands, interwebs fluuuuffff
> 
> Thank for reading! <3


End file.
